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Riley Freeman
Riley Freeman is the eight-year-old younger brother of Huey Freeman. He aspires to be like the rap artists and the gangsters he admires. Because of this, he often refers to himself as gangster-like names such as "Riley Escobar," though in season two of the television series, he begins to refer to himself as "Young Reezy." This obsession molds his personality into a foil of his brother's more politically and socially-driven mindset. Riley, who grew up on the south side of Chicago, was moved along with his brother to the peaceful, predominately white suburb of Woodcrest by their granddad. In some episodes, he and Huey would have a single storyline. In others, the two would each have their own in a single episode. Riley, like Huey, is voiced by Regina King.His signature color is blue. Personality Riley is a highly impressionable third-grader who tightly embraces the stereotypical "gangsta" lifestyle, doing his best to promote the urban culture in the contrasting suburb of Woodcrest. Riley tries to the best of his ability to be a gangster. Influenced by the mass media by way of rap music and television, he frequently uses poor grammar, and tends to defend his idols even when his imitations go against common sense and righteousness. One example is his support of R. Kelly in "The Trial of R. Kelly": despite overwhelming evidence proving Kelly's guilt, Riley believes he shouldn't have to miss out on his next album because of Kelly going to jail. This is further shown in "The Story of Gangstalicious Part 2" where he dresses in effeminate clothing only because Gangstalicious created the style (refusing to believe that the rapper was gay despite the obvious signs). In order to be like his idols, he collects airsoft weapons and tags houses, as demonstrated in "The Garden Party" and "Riley Wuz Here". He also seems to be a fan of the movie Scarface in that he occasionally quotes lines from or alludes to the movie, and he has a white suit similar to the one worn by Tony Montana. Riley seems to have a fair amount of criminal aptitude, as is demonstrated when he helped coordinate the kidnapping of Oprah Winfrey, and further demonstrated by his criticisms of Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy for their lack of criminal know-how ("Let's Nab Oprah"). Despite his pretensions to the contrary, Riley is not stupid: he can in fact be very resourceful and pragmatic, and "beats" Tom, a district attorney, in an argument over R. Kelly's confinement and trial. Perhaps due to idolizing the gangsta rap lifestyle he seems to have a level of street smarts possibly as great as his brother, often able to manipulate situations through lying and reverse psychology, which he refers to as getting into someone's "mental mind". Riley is quite brash and could often get into situations without considering first, also making him a trouble maker. He is also quite rebellious and doesn't listen to anyone, especially Huey and Grandad. He is brutally honest to the point of being very rude. Riley sometimes overestimates his own rather crude combat abilities, such as when he tried to fight his brother in "Let's Nab Oprah". His thuggish fighting style, both with weapons and hand-to-hand, failed several times against the precision of Huey's martial arts ability. He does seem to have some talent with airsoft guns, as he fought Huey to a tie in season two (he was more heavily armed, though). It can be shown that he has a strong amount of endurance and determination, seen when he receives many harsh attacks from his opponents (like Huey and Butch Magnus) but is able to continue fighting, seemingly ignoring his injuries to a certain limit. Riley seems to take great pleasure in poking fun at other people, sometimes to the point where Huey or Robert have to hit him to make him stop, though such disciplinary actions usually have no effect on his behavior. He also holds grudges; he has a grudge, for example, against Santa Claus for not getting him what he wanted for Christmas back when he lived in the ghetto, and went so far as to stalk and assault Mall Santa's with airsoft guns ("A Huey Freeman Christmas"). Riley's excessive interest in the "thug" lifestyle has made him into something of a misogynist. He claims that all women are "hoes", pointing to the custom that a man should pay for his girlfriend's dinner during a date - despite, as Huey points out, that men are actually paying the restaurant, not the woman — a contradiction that Riley does not recognize. He also tends to use "bitches" as a general term for women. Riley is somewhat cynical. In "The Story Of Catcher Freeman", he recognizes that the stories of his Granddad usually are made-up: this can mean that he is, like his brother, a realist. He can keep a cool head, even under pressure: when both he and his idol Gangstalicious are under heavy gunfire, Riley remains stable while the supposedly hardcore Gangstalicious loses his composure, causing Riley to opine that Gangstalicious is a fraud, lamenting, "It's like going to heaven and finding out God smokes crack." Despite these less than admirable characteristics Riley is precociously clever, especially when required to think quickly or talk his way out of trouble. Usually he's able to get what he wants by manipulating people or disadvantageous events, like he did in "Let's Nab Oprah" - first with his Granddad, then when he saw Huey at the studios. He is also an extremely talented visual artist and had been using graffiti as his primary window for artistic gratification until the episode "Riley Wuz Here", during which he learns to paint selflessly and for the benefit of the viewer instead of personal glory. He still, however, admits that he hopes his artistic talent lets him "get paid." One might say it's the heavy influence of mass media, particularly modern-day rap culture, that inhibits his intellectual potential. Thus, Riley's characterization is McGruder's way of satirizing many youths today who have the potential to do so much but choose to waste it, and instead end up in trouble with the law or worse. In the episode "The Trial of R. Kelly": Huey mentions that Riley still wets his bed. It was said again by Granddad in Ballin'. Riley is said to use the word "Nigga" far more than any other character on the show, this was pointed out in the episode "The S-Word", as he was described as having used it so much, that when his teacher overhears him using it to ask someone to borrow one of his French fries, the teacher was more concerned on how he planned to return the French fries when he was done, than the fact that he used the word. Riley has a range of nicknames, such as; Horsechoker, H.R. Paper Stacks, Louis Rich, Young Reezy, Pillsberry Doughboy, Dat Nucca, The Fundraiser and Riley Escobar. Relationships Huey Freeman Huey and Riley tend to have a regular brotherly relationship despite their contradictory personalities. Riley looks up to his older brother's fighting skills. Due to the blunders Riley makes, Huey inevitably tries to teach him the error of his ways, but often to no avail. When their granddad isn't around, Huey usually will not hesitate to set Riley straight himself. In "...Or Die Trying" Riley doesn't have any problem abandoning his brother, claiming he knew the risks, but in other episodes he seems to trust him. Despite all this, Riley often insults his brother with the repeated phrase "Nigga, you gay," usually after receiving a hug (although he just distanced himself from Huey in the episode "...Or Die Trying") but openly offered one at the end of "It's Goin Down" after seeing his brother on television involved in a shoot out, impressing him. Robert Freeman Riley constantly disrespects his granddad, Robert Freeman. Robert mainly resorts to physical punishment to keep Riley in line, but Riley seems accustomed to this kind of disciplinary action to the point where it doesn't influence or change his actions in any significant way. Riley seems to not understand Granddad's rules and gets whipped when he makes a poor choices. While they are frequently at odds, Riley will also support some of Grandad's crazier schemes and ideas (much to the frustration of Huey), such as in Granddad's Fight, and The Real. They are shown to be close at times and agree on things. "Riley Wuz Here" shows a more caring side to their relationship as Riley uses his new lessons about creating art for others to paint a portrait of a young Robert and his late wife on the house. Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy are the only white characters, aside from Cindy MacPherson, that Riley associates with, and refers to them as his "niggas" because they're the closest thing to a gang that exists in Woodcrest. They own a great variety of firearms and are free to commit any crime they wish since Ed's grandfather essentially owns the city. Riley frequently accompanies them on their various misdeeds, and isn't afraid to point out when their crimes are poorly-planned or are only successful because of Ed's grandfather's status. However, Rummy dismisses Riley's reasoning and says they get away with crimes because he (Rummy) is a criminal mastermind. However, they tend to use Riley for their own personal gain, such as stealing his Granddad's car, Dorothy, with knowledge that Riley wouldn't "snitch" in the aptly named episode, Thank you for not snitching!. When the car was eventually returned, Wuncler and Rummy stole Riley's new bike, fitted with customized rims, riding away as they shouted: "Thank you for not snitching...ya stupid motherfucker!" Riley also contacts Ed Wuncler III when he needs additional muscle when: he tries to get his Lethal Interjection chain back from Butch Magnus; when he and Huey need to seek out the X-box Killer. Dubois Family Riley likes to make fun of the Dubois family -- especially Tom, the local district attorney. He mocks Tom's un-manliness, shatters Jazmine's beliefs, and makes fun of Sarah's cooking. He outwits Tom in an argument about R. Kelly's trial (season 1, "The Trial of R. Kelly") and makes fun of Tom's fear of being anally raped in prison (season 1, A Date With the Health Inspector). He also mocks Sarah's cooking by comparing her peach cobbler to vomit with peas in it (season 1, The Itis). Riley becomes angry with Jazmine, the daughter of Tom and Sarah, when she refuses to give him discounted lemonade (that she was selling for one dollar/cup), shouting at her that "I ain't got no dollar!" (season 1, The Block is Hot) Cindy McPhearson Cindy could be considered the white counterpart of Riley and is initially an antagonist to Riley as seen in the Season 2 episode "Ballin'." Cindy and Riley were initially rivals on different basketball teams in the local league, but in "The Story of Gangstalicious Part 2," Riley invites her over to play with him, signifying a small amount of friendship. In the episode, The Fundraiser, Cindy becomes a business partner of Riley's and helpes him, Jazmine, and a seldom used stereotypical ignorant kid to sell large amounts of chocolate as a money making scam. Feuds Huey Huey Freeman, Riley’s brother, and Riley have some tough altercations when they’re alone. They fight, have airsoft gun wars, and annoy their granddad, Robert Freeman. The consequences for their actions result in their granddad whipping out the belt and striking the kids or tying up their legs and pulling the belt, causing them to trip. In the episode “Home Alone,” Huey ties up Riley and locks him in the closet. Riley escapes after chewing through the tape Huey had wrapped around his arms, and opening the door. An airsoft battle ensues, resulting in a final face off, each pointing a gun at the other's head. They both shoot each other in the face at the same time from point blank range, knocking each other out and falling to the ground. This shows that Riley is just as good as competent an airsoft fighter as Huey. Butch Magnus Riley has a deep seated hatred for a large white eleven-year-old boy named Butch Magnus (to whom he refers as Bitch Magnus). His hatred for the older boy comes from Butch's thievery of Riley's platinum and diamond chain, a symbol of Riley's courage and loyalty to gangsta rapper Thugnificent and the Lethal Interjection crew. Riley's attempts to retrieve the chain result in being beaten up in front of other kids by Butch Magnus; this is not only a personal loss for Riley, but it affects his highly prized "street cred." Butch Magnus is featured in the season 2 episode, "Shinin'." Santa Claus Riley doesn't neccesarily hate Santa Claus but believes that Santa cheated him of the gifts and happiness that other kids received (namely rims) when he and Huey lived in the ghettos of Chicago. Because of this, Riley takes up the persona of the Santa Stalker, sends hate and threat mail him, and assaults the mall Santas every Christmas season until he gets what he feels he deserves, or as he so eloquently puts it, "till that nigga pay what he owes." His already fragile belief in Santa was broken when the Santa volunteers became too scared to even come to the mall (due to his attacks), leaving Uncle Ruckus to don the costume himself. However, when Ruckus consoles Jazmine, who also lost her faith in Santa Claus, it was was enough to rekindle Riley's belief, and to Ruckus's dismay, attack him, demanding him to send Santa the message that "he would return." Weapons and Fighting Riley has shown great expertise at using BB Guns, prefering them due to his gangsta nature, such as when he attacked the Santa Clauses at the Woodcrest Mall, or shot at Uncle Ruckus (with assistance from Huey) to get him out of the house. Though his hand-to-hand fighting isn't as good, especially when compared to Huey's, he is able to hold his own in a fight, such as when he fought Lamilton Taeshawn on the roof of the school in the season 3 episode, "Smokin' With Cigarettes." Gallery char_26864.jpg rileyboondocks.jpg Bros.jpeg Category:Characters Category:Freeman Family Category:Males